Imprisonment in the United States - theory, research and practice (B2+) - ZIP 3401-FAKB-KPWz
This course is offered within the University of Warsaw Integrated Development Programme, co-financed from the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development, path 3.5.
This course will explore theoretical explanations, current research, programs, and policies that address the issues surrounding mass incarceration in the United States. The course will also provide a survey of various data collections and research methods utilized in studies on crime and imprisonment in the U.S. Throughout the lectures, the instructor will describe and present the findings of her own research conducted in Utah, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Specifically, the results of published research on incarcerated population (including incarcerated women and mothers) and on violence prevention programs (including a multi-year evaluation of Functional Family Therapy) will be highlighted.
Currently, approximately 8 million Americans are under correctional supervision which encompasses over 2 million people hold in state and federal prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, local jails, and immigration detention facilities. The rate of incarceration in the U.S. is the highest in the world as nearly 800 people per 100,000 persons are imprisoned. Statistical data indicate that while the U.S. represents about 5 percent of the world’s population, it incarcerates approximately 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. People of color and economically disadvantaged are being disproportionately arrested and incarcerated. This unequal treatment of racial and ethnic minorities is evident in nearly every criminal justice system step, including imprisonment and consequently, on community re-entry.
The penalty of imprisonment remains the main form of punishment in the American criminal justice system. Many researchers, practitioners and policy makers call for the use of other forms of punishment, investing in violence prevention programs, and introducing stricter gun control laws. They also call for improving living standards of minorities, restructuring and rebuilding impoverished neighbourhoods and reforming the criminal justice system.
The following issues will be discussed during the course: Statistical data and trends in crime and incarceration, main American criminological and penology theories, goals of imprisonment in the American criminal justice system, prison deprivations, the incarceration rate among women in the U.S., unintended consequences of imprisonment, prevention programs/interventions in the community & in prisons, imprisonment in the U.S. in COVID-19 era.
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Learning outcomes
Student:
knows and understands the most important assumptions of American criminological theories (K_W02)
knows and understands reasons and factors that influenced the significant increase in the incarceration rate among women in the U.S. (K_W07)
can analyze statistical data on crimes and penalties in the United States (K_U09)
can list and describe the goals of imprisonment in the American criminal justice system and discuss the possibilities of their implementation (K_U07)
can explain how to research and evaluate the effectiveness of crime prevention programs in the United States (K_U06, K_U010)
can explain how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the situation in American prisons and the prison system in the U.S (K_U03)
can properly use theoretical concepts in the interpretation of criminological problems (K_U01)
can assess the appropriateness of using a specific research method to solve a given crime problem (K_U02)
is able to present the results of a team analysis of a simple research problem in speech and writing in English (K_U11)
is ready to understand the importance of alternatives to imprisonment and appreciates the role of local communities in influencing the offender (K_K04)
is ready to recognize and predict ethical aspects and dilemmas in criminology research (K_K07)
is ready to constantly learn and improve language skills to the extent that allows active participation in the discussion in English using scholarly and criminological terms and concepts (K_K01)
Assessment criteria
Constant evaluation including preparation for classes and participation in discussions, frequency required, written exam
Bibliography
The list includes obligatory and supplementary publications (detailed instructions will be provided to students during the course)
• Belknap, J., Lynch, S., & DeHart, D. (2016). Jail staff members' views on jailed women's mental health, trauma, offending, rehabilitation, and reentry. The Prison Journal, 96(1), 79-101.
• Brennan, T., Breitenbach, M., Dieterich, W., Salisbury, E. J., & van Voorhis, P. (2012). Women’s pathways to serious and habitual crime: A person-centered analysis incorporating gender responsive factors. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(11), 1481–1508.
• Celinska, K., & Fanarraga, I. (in press, June 2022). Female prisoners, mental health, and contact with family and friends. The Prison Journal.
• Celinska, K. (2021 early online publication). Evaluating a Functional Family Therapy Intervention: Challenges and Lessons Learned. Research on Social Work Practice 31, 4.
• Celinska, K. Sung, H., Kim, Ch., & Valdimarsdottir, M. (2019). An outcome evaluation of Functional Family Therapy for court-involved youth. Journal of Family Therapy 41, 2, 251-276.
• Celinska, K. & Cheng, Ch. (2017). Gender comparisons in the processes and outcomes of Functional Family Therapy. Journal of Juvenile Justice 6, 1, 82-97.
• Celinska, K. (2015). Effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy for mandated versus non-mandated youth. Juvenile & Family Court Journal 66, 4, 17-27.
• Celinska, K., Cheng Ch., and Virgil, N. (2015). Youth and parental perspectives on the Functional Family Therapy program. Journal of Family Therapy 37, 4, 450-470.
• Celinska, K., & H.Sung (2014). Gender differences in the determinants of prison rule violations. The Prison Journal 94, 2, 220-241.
• Celinska, K. (2013). The role of family in the lives of incarcerated women. The Prison Service Journal 207, 23 – 26.
• Celinska, K., & J.A. Siegel (2010). Mothers in trouble—coping with actual or pending separation from children due to incarceration. The Prison Journal, 90, 4, 447 – 474.
• Crewe, B., Hulley, S., & Wright, S. (2017). The gendered pains of life imprisonment. British Journal of Criminology, 57, 1359–1378.
• Easterling, B. A., Feldmeyer, B., & Presser, L. (2018). Narrating mother identities from prison. Feminist Criminology, 14(5), 519–539.
• Foster, H. (2012). The strains of maternal imprisonment: Importation and deprivation stressors for women and children. Journal of Criminal Justice, 40(3), 221–229.
• Kajstura, A. (2019). Women’s mass incarceration: The whole pie 2019. Prison Policy Initiative.
• Limoncelli, K.E., Wolff, K.T., & Celinska, K. (2019). The role of parental problems in Functional Family Therapy. Children and Youth Services Review 106, 1-10.
• Sawyer, W. (2018). The gender divide: Tracking women’s state prison growth. Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/women_overtime.html
• Sykes, G.M. (1958). The Society of Captives. Princeton University Press.
• The Sentencing Project. (2018, May 10). Incarcerated Women and Girls. The Sentencing Project. https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/incarcerated-women-and-girls/
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: